Characterized electric conductor and the like



May 1, 1934.

A. P. HINSKY CHARACTERIZED ELECTRIC CONDUCTOR AND THE LIKE Filed May 3, 1932 ATTOR Y.

Patented May '1, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHARACTEBIZED ELECTRIC CONDUUIOB AND THE LIKE Anthony P. Ilinsky, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Pyro Products Corpora- 9 Claims.

This invention relates to a novel means of coating electric conductors or other strand bodies to produce predetermined designs or ornamental effects therein in addition to equalizingv the distribution of a coating to the strand body as well as in the method of applying and treating the coating; and the object of the invention is to provide a simple, practical and effective method of applying and treating a coating of the class described so as to produce predetermined ornamental effects therein, and at the same time, to equalize the distribution of the coating on the strand body; a further object being to provide an insulating conductor with a coating deposit arranged thereon so as to produce diflerent or contrasting designs or appearances so as to distinguish one conductor from the other or to distinguish the product of one manufacturer from the other; a still further object being to provide an insulated conductor wherein the coating is so applied as to form recesses or channels between the deposits of the coating on the conductor, which recesses or channels may be exposed to an undercoating or layer of insulation on the conductor to facilitate the arrangement of other coatings thereon; and still further, so as to produce different color effects in the finished product in addition to the different ornamental designs; and with these and other objects in view, the invention consists in an electric conductor or other strand produced as hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawing forms a part, in which the separate parts of my improvement are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view of an electric conductor showing one method of applying a coating thereto.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional and perspective view of a modified form of coating which I employ.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing another form of coating and method of applying the same.

Fig. 5 is a partial section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Figs. 6 and '1 are side views of modified designs which may be formed in the coating; and

Fig. 8 illustrates, diagrammatically, another method of characterizing the coating.

While it has been customary in this art to 55 apply various types of coating material to insulated conductors and other strand bodies, such for example as fire repellant and waterproofing coatings or colored coatings to give predetermined color value to the product, in which uses, paints, compounds, lacquers and other materials have been employed, these coatings have been applied by dipping or submerging the same in a vat or tank or by brushingor spraying, the surplus of the coating being removed by wiping or other means which have proven unsatisfactory for the 5 reason that uneven deposits of the coating were formed on the insulated conductor or other strand body, and oftentimes, bare or uncoated spots, sections or lines would appear. In all cases, to the best of my knowledge, these coatings have been applied without thought of even distribution or of giving character or design to the product.

In a companion application, filed May 3, 1932, and bearing Serial No. 608,932, which has matured 7 into Patent No, 1,890,292, dated December 6, 1932,

I have shown, described and claimed a method of applying a coating to an electric conductor or strand body in the manner illustrated in Figs. 1

to 3 of this application. In the present case, the invention is claimed primarily in the characterization of the coating to produce contrasting, ornamental effects or designs in the coating as well as to facilitate the application of other coatings or in producing multi-colored coatings, and 5 still further to the method herein disclosed for characterizing the coating material.

In Fig. 1 of the drawing, 1 have shown the coating material applied to an electric conductor in accordance with the method described in the companion application. In said figure, 10 represents an electric wire; 11 a body of rubber; 12 a braided fibrous jacket; and 13 a saturant or other compound applied to the jacket or with which the jacket is impregnated, it being understood that the fibres of the jacket may or may not be visible through the compound 13, and in fact, one or more compounds may be applied upon the jacket.

At 14, I have shown a coating material applied to the treated jacket 12 in the form of longitudinal, rib-like bodies, all of substantially the same thickness to provide an even distribution of the coating on the conductor and to form recesses 15 on the conductor between said ribs. In some uses of the invention, these recesses are of such 106 depth as to expose the treated jacket 12 or the coating 13 thereon in order to permit an outer coating 16 to engage the jacket or compound and adhere thereto, especially when the outer coating 16 is composed of a compound or material, the 110 solvent of which is not common with the solvent for the coating in the ribs 14. Otherwise, the necessity of exposing the fibrous jacket 12 or the compound or saturant 13 thereon is not necessary.

When the ribbed coating 14 is of predetermined color and this color is to be visible externally of the conductor, the outer coating 16 will be of a transparent nature such as shellac, varnish or a transparent wax. In th s connection, it will be understood, however, that it is not essential that the outer coating 16 be employed, as the conductor may remain with the protruding ribs thereon or other ornamental design as later described, and this outer contour will reduce the bearing surface of the conductor and facilitate drawing the conductors through outer casings or housings in what is known as fishing the conductor.

In Fig. 3 of the drawing, I have shown a slight modification wherein I have substituted for the outer coating 16 a filler coating 17 which merely fills the recesses 15 and forms other longitudinal rib-like representations externally of the conductor. In this construction, it may be desirable in some instances to employ in the filler coating 17 a colored base contrasting to that of a colored base employed in the rib coatings 14 so as to produce a multi-colored outer finished coating. At this time, it will also be understood that the same process referred to in connection with the illustration in Fig. 3 of the drawing may be applied to the structures shown in Figs. 4, 6, 7 and 8 of the drawing or in connection with any other design or contour employed in the formation of the outer coating of the conductor. It will be understood that in all cases, I may, if desired, employ a final outer coating of transparent or substantially transparent material, except only where it is desired to utilize the characterized coating solely as a binder and means of equal distribution of another coating on the conductor in the manner illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawing.

In Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawing, I have shown another method of applying a characterized coating to an insulated conductor. In these figures, 10a represents the wire; 11a the rubber body; 12a the fibrous jacket; and 13a the saturant or other compound on the jacket. At 18, I have shown a coating consisting of any suitable compound, paint, lacquer or other material applied to the treated jacket 12a.

In the process of characterizing the coating 18, the conductor thus formed is passed first through two opposed roller dies 19, 19a, having characterized concave surfaces conforming with the contour of the conductor and so shaped as to form a multiplicity of longitudinally and circumferentially spaced rectangular recesses 20, 20a, on opposed faces of the conductor. Other similar rollers 21, 21a, are arranged at right angles to the rollers 19, 19a, and form intermediate the series of recesses 20, 20a, corresponding recesses 20b so as to provide as indicated in Fig. 4 of the drawing, a substantially equal spacing of the rectangular recesses through the circumference of the conductor and longitudinally thereof. The recesses may be shallow or if desired, may penetrate through the entire thickness of the coating 18 so as to expose the fabric jacket 12a or the compound 13a applied thereto for the purposes hereinbefore stated.

At this time, it will be understood that my invention is not necessarily limited to applying the recesses of any given contour to the entire circumference of the conductor as a single row or series of rows may be arranged longitudinally of the conductor or spirally thereon so as to be visible from any side of the conductor within a given length. It will also appear that my invention is not limited to an accurate alinement of the recesses or other markings regardless of the contour thereof.

In Fig. 6 of the drawing, I have shown a slight modification wherein diamond-shaped recesses 22 are substituted for the rectangular recesses shown in Fig. 4, whereas in Fig. 7, I have shown circular recesses 23. In this connection, it will also be apparent that instead of forming recesses of predetermined contour on the conductor, the characterized elements may be in the form of projecting bodies or members as in the illustration shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing, it being understood that suitable dies or other means will be employed to remove the coating circumferentially of the conductor as well as longitudinally thereof. In this connection, it will be apparent that circumferential grooves alone may be formed in the coating as diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 8 of the drawing, in which figure, 24 represents the coating in which are formed spiral grooves 25. In said figure, I have indicated a. rotatable die 26 having a tapered opening 27 into and through which the coated conductor is passed for smoothing out the coating prior to forming the grooves 25 therein by a shaping tool 28 carried on a projecting arm 29 on said die. The tool 28 is supported in different positions of adjustment by a wedge piece 30 or in any other desired manner.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that my invention is not limited to the use of any particular type or construction of roller, rotary or drawing dies in shaping or characterizing the coating applied to the conductor, and that the characters of the coating to give different designs or appearances thereto are in fact unlimited. For the purpose of description, it may be said that the raised portions of the coating forming the designs constitute raised areas or sections, whereas the recesses formed therebetween are recessed areas. As stated, these areas may produce various ornamental effects.

While I have shown and described certain forms of coatings and method of producing the same, it will be apparent that my invention is not limited in these respects, and various other changes in and modifications of the construction herein shown and described and the method herein defined may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of my invention or sacrificing its advantages.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. An insulated electric conductor comprising a wire encased in a covering of insulating material, a thin coating of colored compound of substantially uniform thickness applied to the covering to form raised areas thereon and definitely spaced recesses between said areas of a depth substantially equal to the thickness of the compound coating so that the covering will be visible through said recesses.

2. An insulated electric conductor comprising a wire encased in a covering of insulating material, a thin coating of colored compound of substantially uniform thickness applied to the covering to form raised areas thereon and definitely spaced recesses between said areas of a depth substantially equal to the thickness of the compound coating so that the covering will be visible through said recesses, and another coating of difierent characteristics arranged in the of the first coating and o! a thickness equal to the thickness of said first coating.

3. An insulated electric conductor comprising a wire encased in a covering of insulating material, a thin coating or colored compound or substantially uniform thickness applied to the covering to form raised areas thereon and definitely spaced recesses between said areas of a depth substantially equal to the thickness of the compound coating so that the covering will be visible through said recesses, another coating of different characteristics arranged in the recesses of the first coating and of a thickness equal to the thickness of said first coating, and a transparent coating over said first named coatings.

4. An insulated electric conductor comprising a wire encased in a covering of insulating material, a thin coating of colored compound of substantially uniform thickness applied to the covering to form raised areas thereon and definitely spaced recesses between said areas of a depth substantially equal to the thickness of the compound coating so that the covering will be visible through said recesses, and a coating of transparent material filling said recesses and extending over said first named coating.

5. In insulated conductors comprising a wire with an insulation covering thereon, a thin coating or colored compound applied to said covering, said coating having raised areas oi. even thickness and between which are recesses to produce a preformed marking on the conductor, said coating being 01' a desired colo and another coating of colored compound of a color contrasting to the first coating and disposed in said recesses and or substantially the same thickness as said first coating.

6. An insulated electric conductor comprising a wire encased in a covering of insulating material, a thin coating of colored compound or substantially even thickness applied to limited areas of the covering. and another coating or colored compound arranged on the uncovered areas or the covering and or a thickness equal to the thickness of the first coating to form a smooth outer surface to the finished conductor.

7. An elongated strand of the class described having a compound coating thereon, said coating comprising projecting portions disposed circumferentially and longitudinally of the outer surfaces of the strand and forming recesses therebetween, the depth of said recesses being equal to the thickness 0! said coating to centralize the strand therein and to expose the strand through said recesses, and another coating applied to the strand and disposed in said recesses.

8. An elongated strand of the class described having a compound coating thereon, said coating comprising projecting portions disposed circumferentially and longitudinally of the outer surfaces of the strand and forming recesses therebetween, the depth or said recesses being equal to the thickness of said coating to centralize the strand therein and to expose the strand through said recesses, another coating applied to the strand and disposed in said recesses and adhering to said strand, and one of said coatings being or a color contrasting to that o! the other.

9. An insulated electric conductor comprising a wire encased in a covering of insulating material having an outer jacket or fibrous material treated with a saturant, a thin coating 0! colored compound of substantially even thickness applied to limited areas oi said jacket, and another coating of colored compound arranged on the uncovered areas 01' said jacket and or a thickness equal to the thickness of the first coating to form a smooth conductor.

ANTHONY P. HINBKY.

outer surface to the finished I 

